LFW Day 1: Marsha Marsha Marsha.

So London Fashion Week is over, and I for one miss it already. Yes, there were blisters, last-minute city mapper panic attacks, shivers and the occasional wind messing up the new bangs but, I loved every single minute of it. The themes, the fringing, the colourways, the cuts, the people and, of course, the street style, the new season has well and truly created a lodge in my heart. So before I get into that, let’s reminisce by going back, way back to Day 1 where the outfit was fit for a particular member of the Brady bunch.

Coat: Missguided, Polo: Topshop, Top: Hayley Scanlan

Trousers: Vintage, Shoes: Jasper Conran at Debs, Bag: Luna on the Moon

I feel a certain spiritual connection with the seventies. With my mum being a self-proclaimed disco queen back in the day, for me it is an era of style that epitomises glamour. I love the dramatic shapes, rich colour texture and already felt a natural gravitation towards the trend when it started poking through around Spring/Summer. I found these red high-waisted flares from Glasgow Vintage Co for just £8 and felt they were made for me. Luckily for me and other vintage / charity shop lovers, this year is the season of the thrifting, with catwalks taking hefty inspo from days of yore.

It can be really tough to find your size in vintage shops, but I seem to have a body shape built by days gone by. It’s murder for getting the right fit in the likes of River Island or Topshop but buying high waisted items in vintage shops really is my jam. The Cherry Red colour is just everything, and the fabric has certainly been built to last. I wore it with a staple ribbed polo from Topshop (get all of these while you still can) and a leatherette frill top by one of my favourites Hayley Scanlan.

In keeping with the seventies styling, I wore my Navy boots by Jasper Conran from Debenhams which gave me that peek-a-boo platform that every disco diva would enjoy. Of course as with every outfit, I like to finish things up with an interesting accessory so of course I went to my collection of Luna on the Moon and went for something in the shape of an egg-bag. It just goes to show that no matter what your style you can rock the Brady Bunch-era in a modern, minimal or quirky way.

Day one, we visited a few shows, but nothing really tickled my tummy the way it should. I mean don’t get me wrong, the textures in Bora Asku were DEVINE but after a tour around the Fashion Scout exhibitions, I was having fashion palpitations. The designer mostly causing said heart failure was one I had my beady wee eye on for a while already, Miss Clio Pippiatt.

When Betty met Clio Pippiatt

I have mentioned that clothes tend to speak to me, but Clio’s work sings. Her use of colour, texture, pop culture mixed with a wonderful celebration of femininity just tickles me exactly where I like it. It was even more wonderful that when we met with her at Freemasons, she was every bit as lovely as her designs. Next season she is continuing on her quest of making the most beautiful juxtaposition of fabrics, along with some pretty killer appliques. I’m talking fringing, dalmatians, cats, lipsticks, just everything one may want or imagine sitting right on top the shiniest and fluffiest of fabrics. I’ll be chomping at the bit to get some of her pieces on me and into my wardrobe that’s for sure!

I couldn’t get great pics of the new collection so if you do one thing this evening, please make it be visiting her website and going through her past collections, notably AW14 as styled by one of my favourites, Soki Mak.  I mean, orange and blue fussy coats and matching trousers? Don’t matter that the seasons almost over, her designs are just EVERYTHING! Now, let me go take some deep cleansing breaths. Let me know your thoughts on Clio!